# Bucknell University

Private nonprofit college in Lewisburg, PA. IPEDS ID 211291.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/bucknell-university · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/bucknell-university.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 29% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $40,766 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 86%; beats 93% of PA colleges and 94% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $93,807; beats 96% of PA colleges and 98% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $23,250

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $20,980 |
| 30-48k | $12,276 |
| 48-75k | $23,679 |
| 75-110k | $28,165 |
| 110k+ | $55,724 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.06 years on average (82% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $93,807 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in PA (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $20,980 | $85,179 | 1.5 years |
| 30-48k | $12,276 | $49,841 | under 1 year |
| 48-75k | $23,679 | $96,137 | 1.7 years |
| 75-110k | $28,165 | $114,350 | 2.0 years |
| 110k+ | $55,724 | $226,239 | 3.9 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $83,756
- Tuition and fees: $67,812
- Housing and meals: $16,118; books: $900

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 650–730; SAT math: 660–740; ACT: 30–33 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 11,010 applicants, 3,524 admitted, 1,030 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 29%, ACT 30–33 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 32%, ACT 31–33 (IPEDS Admissions)

### Common Data Set 2025-26 (Fall 2025)
- Very important: none; important: none; considered: none
- Early decision: yes (656 of 1200 admitted); early action: no; waitlist: yes (150 admitted of 1384 who accepted a spot)
- Average high school GPA of enrolled first-years: 3.58
- Aid (full-time first-years): average 93% of need met; 129 of 449 with need fully met; merit aid to students without need: 121 students, average $20,060
- Source: https://www.bucknell.edu/sites/default/files/institutional-research/common_data_set_2025-26.pdf

## Majors (53 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineering | $90,171 | $156,885 | not reported |
| Accounting | $75,776 | $130,990 | $26,881 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | not reported | $122,651 | not reported |
| Economics | $70,946 | $108,422 | $25,888 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $79,391 | $99,860 | $19,500 |
| Chemical Engineering | $80,653 | $99,536 | $27,000 |
| Civil Engineering | $80,231 | $95,693 | $27,000 |
| Political Science | $53,012 | $94,028 | $26,000 |
| International Relations | $77,312 | $90,393 | not reported |
| Biology | $38,765 | $85,687 | $26,672 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $51,120 | $76,364 | $24,625 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $46,698 | $66,963 | $26,798 |
| Psychology | $51,645 | $66,206 | $27,000 |
| English | $34,043 | $49,785 | $27,000 |
| Area Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biomedical Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Electrical Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Environmental Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Writing | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biochemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Zoology / Animal Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Neuroscience | not reported | not reported | $27,000 |
| Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Applied Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Statistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Data Analytics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Anthropology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geography | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Sociology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Theatre | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Studio Art | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Music | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Business Administration | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| International Business | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Management Science / Analytics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Marketing | $70,868 | not reported | $26,000 |
| History | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Accounting → Accountant / auditor: median wage not reported (metro), $79,000 (PA), $83,680 (U.S.)
- Computer Engineering → Computer hardware engineer: median wage not reported (metro), not reported (PA), $161,740 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).